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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23569828">Crowded Heart</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SecretEve95/pseuds/SecretEve95'>SecretEve95</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Worst Witch (TV 2017), The Worst Witch - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adolescent Sexuality, Gen, Secret Crush</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 20:08:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,070</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23569828</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SecretEve95/pseuds/SecretEve95</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Mildred’s thoughts were alive and the weight of them fell heavily upon her heart.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hardbroom &amp; Mildred Hubble</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>44</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Crowded Heart</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mildred was seated opposite Maud and Enid with an untouched bowl of porridge in front of her. The dining hall was buzzing with the humdrum chatter of students and her two friends were avidly engaged in a conversation about the threat of a looming potions examination. She could hear the sound of wooden chairs as they were scraped against the floor and cutlery as it clinked against bowls. An overcast sky hovered darkly over the school. It allowed so little sunlight to spill in through the windows that some lanterns remained lit. </p><p>Mildred glanced involuntarily at the teacher’s table and her gaze settled upon Miss Hardbroom. The older witch was languidly sipping from a tea cup and her head was cocked in the direction of her colleagues who were involved with conversation. A mild expression of disinterest adorned her features. Mildred’s eyes followed the hard lines and angles of the older witch’s body in search of softer parts. The young witch’s gaze gleamed with both relish and revulsion; transfixed, she could not look away. </p><p>“Mildred,” Maud exclaimed, “Did you hear what I just said?”</p><p>“Uh -”</p><p>“What are you looking at?” Enid interrupted. </p><p>Mildred rapidly turned her attention back to her friends. She felt flustered. It was then that the school bell rang to signal the beginning of the day’s lessons. A cacophony of sound erupted and the chatter increased from the many students as they scrambled to collect their satchels and belongings and disperse in a timely manner. Faster on the uptake, Enid and Maud had already taken a few steps towards the exit whilst Mildred was still hoisting her bag over her shoulder. The young witch glanced stealthily at the teacher’s table once more only to discover that Miss Hardbroom had vanished. </p><p>---</p><p>Mildred entered her bedroom and closed the door swiftly behind her. She haphazardly placed her satchel on the stone floor and knelt down to be greeted by Tabby. After taking a moment to affectionately stroke her cat Mildred then rose and took off her boots. Night had fallen upon Cackle’s Academy and the young witch’s room was cloaked in near darkness. She sighed heavily and elected not to light a lantern and luminate her room. Mildred allowed her eyes to adjust to the pale moonlight that spilled in through the windows. She wandered across the length of her room and sat down sidelong on the wide stone window frame. With outstretched hands she reached for the interior wooden shutters and closed them upon herself. The young witch drew her knees toward her chest and hugged herself into a tight ball. Encased quietly between the glass of the window and the wooden shutters she was hidden from the world. Mildred’s cheeks flushed with fluctuating feelings of infatuation. It was this from which she wanted to hide.</p><p>The young witch felt the coldness of the stone beneath her and against her back. She noticed as the chill of the night air from beyond the glass infected her hands and feet. Mildred looked lazily out of the window. Stars twinkled in their complex tapestries above and a crescent moon peered down at her. The ancient castle battled against the darkness of the night with an army of lanterns. The hallway outside her bedroom door was silent and the only sound to be heard was the tinkering of the bell on Tabby’s collar as he intermittently moved about the room. The world was quiet here. The world inside Mildred’s mind was not. </p><p>Mildred’s thoughts were alive and the weight of them fell heavily upon her heart. Somewhere along the line her ardent admiration of Miss Hardbroom had tipped into something deeper. The young witch had long since noted the manifestation of an irksome pull that tugged her toward the older witch. Her favourite sound had soon become the steady clack of high-heeled bootsteps against the stone floor alerting her that the older woman was near. When Miss Hardbroom appeared in a room it caused her heart to beat faster and she sat up a little straighter in her chair. Mildred soon became aware that her poor performance in potions class was due to the nerves that the older woman stirred up inside her. Mildred noticed that as her feelings prospered so too did the judgements she placed upon herself. </p><p>The persistent presence of these feelings set alight a barrage of doubts within the young witch. It was impossible to ignore and equally as hard to acknowledge that Miss Hardbroom was significantly older that she was. This fact never failed to cause Mildred substantial discomfort and ill-ease. To concede to the allure she felt towards Miss Hardbroom was to breathe life into the repulsion she was met with each time she glanced at the older woman. Mildred turned her thoughts over and over again in her mind and she could only ever conclude that something very deep within herself must be broken, or wrong. But, on the other hand these feelings she harbored were something that she couldn't fix; a wrong that she couldn't put right. If accepting it was impossible, how could she escape it?</p><p>A unique blend of confusion and shame stalked Mildred throughout her days and well into each night. Much in the same way that honey trickles down to fill an empty jar, the young witch’s veneration of the of her teacher had seeped into her body over time. It moulded itself to the container that was Mildred. It was then that the sweet substance took on an identity of its own. It swirled in the pit of her stomach. It rose to be contained within the cavity of her chest. With nowhere to escape the pressure of it strained, pinched and caressed her innards. It took up every available inch of space - space that was needed for fun and studying and the continued growth and strengthening of friendships. </p><p>The young witch let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding. She tried hard and failed to smooth out her tangled web of thoughts. Mildred shook her head to clear it. She settled herself with a few  long deep breaths. Defeated, she let her forehead fall to rest against the cold glass. The young witch whispered a question into the silent night that she could not contend with. </p><p>“Why is this happening to me?”</p><p>Mildred placed her hand over her heart to touch this slow turning pain.</p>
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